Bill > SB222

Introduced Session

AN ACT concerning Environment - Reducing Packaging Materials - Statewide Recycling Needs Assessment and Producer Responsibility for Packaging Materials FOR the purpose of requiring certain producers of packaging materials to individually or as part of a producer responsibility organization submit a certain packaging materials producer responsibility plan to the Department of the Environment for review and approval on or before a certain date and in accordance with certain requirements; prohibiting, on or after a certain date, a producer of certain packaging materials from selling, offering for sale, distributing, or importing certain packaging materials unless the producer, individually or as part of a producer responsibility organization, has an approved producer responsibility plan on file with the Department; requiring a producer responsibility organization to pay certain costs to the Department; requiring a producer responsibility organization to implement a producer responsibility plan within a certain amount of time after the Department approves the producer responsibility plan; establishing a producer responsibility plan advisory council; authorizing a local government to request reimbursement from a certain producer that has an approved producer responsibility plan on file with the Department for certain costs in a certain manner; altering the definition of “organics recycling” to include the processing of certain compostable packaging materials in a certain manner; requiring the Department of the Environment to approve a certain producer responsibility organization for certain purposes on or before a certain date; establishing a producer responsibility advisory council to provide advice and make recommendations regarding establishing and implementing a producer responsibility program in the State for packaging materials and to report to certain committees of the General Assembly on or before a certain date; requiring the Office of Recycling in the Department to hire an independent contractor to conduct certain statewide recycling needs assessments in a certain manner and to submit certain reports on the results of the assessments to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before certain dates a certain statewide recycling needs assessment in a certain manner and to submit a certain report to the Governor and the General Assembly on or before a certain date; and generally relating to a statewide recycling needs assessment and producer responsibility for packaging materials. BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, Article - Environment Section 9-1701(a) and (o) Annotated Code of Maryland (2014 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, Article - Environment Section 9-1702 9-1701(n), 9-1702, and 9-1707(f) Annotated Code of Maryland (2014 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement) BY adding to Article - Environment Section 9-1702.2; and 9-2501 through 9-2510 9-2503 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 25. Producer Responsibility for Packaging Materials” Annotated Code of Maryland (2014 Replacement Volume and 2022 Supplement)

Committee Categories

Malcolm Augustine (D)*,  Ben Brooks (D),  Sarah Elfreth (D),  Katie Hester (D),  Shelly Hettleman (D),  Cheryl Kagan (D),  Karen Young (D), 

Approved by the Governor - Chapter 465 (on 05/08/2023)

Official Document